Baby 7 months on Tuesday - constantly waking through the night for over a week

[LML40]

Hi,

So, my LO has never been a great sleeper, but there was a stage where he was only waking up 2 times in the night (he's breast fed). For the past week he goes down at 7:30/8 for 3 hours or so and then he's up every hour and sometimes just 20 mins. I've started to introduce food, but just for fun tastes and he doesn't seem to have any problems when it comes to poo's etc. He's very regular!

He's 7 months on Tuesday - is there some kind of regression? He's been putting everything in his mouth for as long as I can remember so was thinking maybe it's getting worse now and it's his gums/teeth?

I feed him before bed each night, but he doesn't fall asleep when doing that now, but I do have to soothe him. He goes down for naps fine and doesn't fight, but I do have to put lullaby's on and rock him a little before he goes down. Maybe I'm doing everything wrong!!!

He's not too cold or too hot either.

I'm absolutely exhausted and just yesterday my dad was diagnosed with cancer for the 2nd time so everything as it is has become so overwhelming and with no sleep it's worse than ever.

Any advice would be great!

Thank you @Tee20x don't worry I know how it is, I don't expect anyone to reply instantly! Sometimes I take days 😂 xxx

@Doughnut100 you're going through a rough time!! I was exactly the same a few weeks ago, posting throughout the night at every wake up. It's awful isn't it.

DD is 10 months old so a bit older on than your little one but i still have nights where she just won't go down or wakes up what feels like constantly so you're not alone at all!!! She has never slept through (maybe like once or twice by fluke) I'm still feeding to sleep for naps and bedtime, as well as night wakings - though she often manages to wake every 3-4 hours which isn't too bad (unless we're going through a bad spell).

I think the whole night feeding thing from what I can remember is relative to a baby's age and weight? Can't remember exact details but I'm sure I've read that when they reach a certain age or weight, they don't NEED to feed through the night, they mostly do it for comfort because that's all they know?

I don't think you'd be traumatising her by not feeding through the night but I do think it may be confusing to sometimes do it and other times not. As then she may think that by persisting or waking up eventually she will get milk? I'm no expert lol but that's just my thought process anyway.

I actually read an article the other day and it basically said to set shorter goals for yourself if you want to night wean. So maybe put baby down to bed and for every wake up until a certain time, say 11pm you will feed if they need it. But then from 11pm-6am or whatever time you choose, don't feed. Something along those lines. So maybe to reduce night feeds you could start with saying something like if she wakes between x and x time you won't offer milk?

Sounds like you've tried a lot of different things though!

In terms of bedtimes, I would just do what works best for your family routine. My DD goes to bed relatively "late" by MN standards. Normally goes down around 9ish - if it's a bad day it actually might be closer to 10pm. But then she wont wake up until 9/10am so she is still getting the required amount of sleep.

Saying that though, I'm trying to shift her to start going to bed and waking up earlier. With the clocks changing that seems to have worked and she now wakes up at around 8 and goes down closer to 9 so some progress has been made (woohoo)!

@Doughnut100 just reading through your posts again to see if I've missed anything & am wondering whether she may be teething?

At around 7 months my DD cut her first 2 teeth and it was horrendous. Barely slept and was up every hour!! So perhaps it could be linked to that. Or any other developmental leap, rolling over, sitting up etc etc.

I think the issue with researching online is that there will always be loads of conflicting opinions so trying to read them all and research, which feels like the right thing to do can make us feel confused! As they all make sense in one way or another so you feel like your brain is being pulled apart.

I think my best advice would be to be guided by your baby and just try different things and see what works for you.

Well done on getting her to sleep alone initially for those few days though! That's no small achievement.

Thats coming from someone who is currently nap trapped beneath a baby haha.

Thanks for your responses @Tee20x

She certainly has been teething at times but not for the whole 3 months and I don't think right now.

That's a good way of putting it - I do feel pulled apart!

I hope you enjoyed your nap trap - sometimes they are great for life admin or online shopping!

The night weaning you describe is the same as the Jay Gordon one that I've seen recommended but he was very clear it's only for 12 months onwards 😭

Well done for shifting your bedtime, I am tempted to leave ours where it is at 8:30/9 as that way I get more sleep.

@Doughnut100 yeah I spend my life nap trapped tbh. If I put her down she will wake instantly or if I'm lucky she will sleep 10 mins. So I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'll be chained to her for sleep until I bite the bullet and get her to start going down alone and get used to the fact that I won't always be there.

Yeah if the late bedtimes work for you just go with it. That's what I've been doing anyway, but because I start work soon I want to start adjusting from now as soon we will have to be out the door before 8am which will be a shock to the system!

Also it started getting annoying that I was basically having no evening chill time as I was going to sleep shortly after her or having to stay up late to decompress.

Interesting that the article said after 12 months. I'd be interested to know why as they don't need to be fed overnight from a biological point of view. I'm sure they wouldn't feel abandoned if you cuddled them etc instead of feeding.

@Tee20x I know what you mean my dd wakes if I move her so I just get naptrapped on purpose all the time. Today I dropped a PIECE OF PAPER and she woke 😂

Thanks for pointing out that getting her to go down initially at night is a win. 5th night in a row, just did it. She'll still be up all night but still, I'll take that. Baby steps.

@Doughnut100 laughing at the piece of paper looool.

Congrats on getting her down again! What's your routine & how long does she normally stay down for?

Have done bath and story with mine & am currently feeding to sleep in the dark with ocean music playing in the back. Weirdly have found that it seems to work better than normal white noise - not sure on its overall impact though. It's mainly just to cover up random background noises like the fireworks atm (grr) and the TV.

Normally she just lays in my arms until I'm ready to sleep myself and then I plonk her next to me. It's a bad habit that I've gotten into and not quite sure where it started. But it's like I'm scared to put her down just incase she wakes up and I have to start over so would rather just hold her until I'm ready to go down myself. Must be from my really bad sleep deprivation days.

It's weird because if I'm going to sleep she will lie beside me fine. But if she knows I'm up she won't lay down, her eyes will fly open...spooky.

Oh and the jay gordon blog is here if you're interested. It's psychological rather than biological grounds I think.

www.drjaygordon.com/blog-detail/sleep-changing-patterns-in-the-family-bed

@Doughnut100

It's funny because when I think back I always go ugh she's never slept in her cot but then when I go back through my pics there are a lot of her sleeping in there for naps & also just laying on my bed (before she could roll) alone sleeping peacefully - so I'm not sure where all of this changed.

There was a phase - I think around 5 months where I tried to get her to use a dummy and tried to stop feeding to sleep and would shh pat instead. But it was taking like an hour to get her to sleep and was too labour intensive for me and my sleep deprived self so I gave up and took the easy option. Basically said meh I'll deal with this later.

And here later is, to bite me in the bum.

@Doughnut100

I am so sorry for not responding sooner. I didn't see any notifications come through!

Do you have Instagram? I genuinely believe you may benefit from this wonderful lady. I have a 30 min sleep consultancy appointment over the phone next week. She knows her stuff and there is no harsh methods. She will ask you questions prior, so you don't waste time on the call.

I have attached a picture for you so you can see.

She charges £50, so not overly cheap for a phone call, but it will be worth it if she can offer help? I can let you know how mine goes?

Xx

@LML40 I'd be interested to see how your call goes and whether she is able to offer any new bits of advice for you.

Have you got a specific goal in mind that you're hoping to achieve in relation to baby's sleep?

I'm having a little think of that myself & I think my main top is for her to be able to go down and sleep alone for a few hours in the evening.

Also just an update regarding cot situation - I ordered it the last time I came on here and said I did BUT had a message from the seller saying that they couldn't do next day delivery and that I'd have to wait 3-5 days for it.

Messaged back as I'm actually away for a few days. Mini city break with my best friend (yay) - baby is coming with me, but should still be nice anyway plus she's hands on with baby and basically said she will give me a bit of a break woohoo - so cot will be coming when I return.

Actually had a conversation with my parents a few days ago who reckon I'm making a rod for my own back by cosleeping and think it will be hard for me to transition. At least they know it won't be easy though and will be prepared for the tears.

@Tee20x

I will definitely keep you updated.

Mmm I think what is like is to not always feed to sleep for every nap and wake through the night. I need some guidance as to when I know if he's hungry or if it's just out of habit etc.

Lately I've had him fall asleep on me a few times and do you know what? It's not made any difference to him going down in his cot, so maybe try and see if you can get the best of both worlds.

Oh never mind! Maybe it's worked out for the best as you'll have had a "break" and can go in with a bit of a fresh mind if that makes sense?

Awww you definitely need it - a change of scenery and a great friend on board will do you the world of good!!

So, if you said that to this sleep coach she would literally say there is no rod for your own back with regards to co sleeping! Did you follow her on Instagram...that's if you have social media?

Xx

@LML40 yeah it's true what you're saying about going into it with a fresh mind! Yeah I followed her and the other account suggested earlier on in the thread.

Been having a crap time tonight. Been trying to put baby to bed for 1.5 hours and she's only just falling asleep using my boob as a dummy.

She's been standing up & playing on the bed, pulling to stand etc etc. Kept laying her down & in the end she got so frustrated that I wouldn't let her run around that she started crying.

Seemed to tire her out even more and then last time I put her down she latched on and started drifting off.

No evening relaxing for me lol

I like @foxandthemooninfantsleep on Instagram.
I have one of her guides I'm going to try and use properly next week!

Well I'm currently in the hotel room. DD is still up. Nothing will get her to sleep so just rolling with it.

Couldn't leave her beside me as she keeps getting up and trying to crawl away so had to make up the travel cot for her.

Put her in & turned off the TV - she was having fun, standing up etc for about 10 mins then started crying.

Left her for a while to see what would happen and am now feeding her trying to her her to sleep again.

Been trying to put her down for 2 hours now.

@Tee20x oh gosh! How did it go? Did it get any better? At least you have your best friend with you, so TRY and relax and enjoy.

I was up so much in the night last night! He had a 2 and a half hour nap at 2:30 which I think totally buggered his sleep. He woke up at 3 and it took me until 4:15 to get him back to sleep. In the end he slept with me until 6:30, so at least I got a solid 2 hours. Im praying that was another one off and linked to his long nap late in the day.

Have a lovely lovely holiday! Xx

@LML40 oh gosh, hard night for you too :(

Nope didn't get any better. She ended up falling asleep at 10.40!! And woke up at 7.50 - and multiple times in between :(

I fell asleep at some point during the night but only cat napped. I think I was just half sleeping incase she managed to roll off the bed as it's quite high & also wake ups due to her too!!

Feeling dead. Friend took over as soon as we got up so I have a chance to relax :)

Will be off for breakfast soon!

@Tee20x

Yep! So I'm with you today feeling like a zombie.

Awww your friend is fab! Embrace it whilst you can.

Eat and rest as much as possible!

@LML40 - last night was a bit better thankfully. She had a late morning nap - went down at like 12, basically a normal persons afternoon nap haha. Ended up sleeping until 2 so everything got a bit late.

Decided to cut the second nap and shift bedtime earlier so she didn't end up going to sleep ridiculously late. She was asleep by 8.30 and it only took about 5 mins yay!!

@Tee20x I am so pleased. I bet you feel a hell of a lot better?!

Did you have a lovely break? Xx

@LML40 yep! Though it's annoying because I found myself waking up even if she was asleep 🙄🙄

Yeah it was nice! Felt relaxing even though we didn't really do much. Literally just ate and chilled out - though broke down on the way home so that's always fun.

Got an email from the cot people saying that the delivery will be scheduled within 48 hours so will ease myself into using it.

Not sure how to start getting her used to it though... will have to do some reading up!

Did you have your consultation with the sleep lady or is that yet to come? Can't remember when you said it was!x

@Tee20x

I do that too, it's so annoying isn't it?!!

That's all you need! It was definitely due for you!!

Eeeek.

Well, I personally think you'll be ok as you're in the same room. When you feed her to sleep, prep the cot:

Warm it with a hot water bottle first, so she doesn't go from a warm you to a crisp cold cot.
Put some comforters in with your smell
Do you have a gro bag?

It's on Thursday! I'm praying she has a solution, although atm. It's teething and the 8 month regression although this sleep coach calls it a progression.

His awake time seems to have naturally started to become longer, so I'm on 3 naps a day regardless of the nap diary I'm now. Well, atm that's how it is, but who knows how what may happen.

He slept with me last night, but it made no difference to be much he woke, but for me it was nice not to have to get up, pick him up, feed him in nursing chair and put him back down xx

@LML40 yeah I think them sleeping with you does make it easier as you can sort them out without fully waking up yourself. I think that's how I started co-sleeping in the first place.

My bed is quite low, so the next2me couldn't come right up against it and I just got sick of having to sit up and lean over all of the time. And this was in the newborn days where it felt like I was up every hour!

My issue at the moment is that I've made life easy for myself and Im dreading the disruption that's about to come. I've just fed DD to sleep, but I'm still holding her as I know that if I put her down she will wake up. So I'll literally just hold her or have her on me, even if it's just her laying across my lap, until I go to sleep myself. Such a bad habit I've got myself into but I feel like at the moment it's the only way I can just have a minute to chill out.

Mmm I've just had a look at my huckleberry app and it looks as if DD dropped to 2 naps at 7 months. Her last naps were getting so ridiculously late it was a joke - so bad the same as you with the gradually longer wake windows.

I will try your tips out and hope for the best! Though judging from her performance in the hotel the other day there will be many many tears.

@Tee20x

Roll over, boob in mouth and you're sorted. The thing is I woke up a few times and he was literally on the edge of the bed, so it's hardly safe over here. Eek.

My bed is also low so had the same problem. I literally had to feed and lift him back in. I wish I'd read up on them a little more before they purchasing!

I think if you make that cot as much like you as possible it will take less time. Even if you literally put her down with all the things I've said, but keep yourself really close to her she might be ok!

That's what I found re: naps, so I edited it to 3 and the bed time has now kicked in at a relatively normal time. Who knows! I'll ask on Thursday as in the morning he is definitely needing one a few hours after he wakes and then a few hours after that. I feel like as the day goes on he is awake naturally for longer!

Xx

@Tee20x when I say close, I mean like put her down and have your face next to yours and maybe 'sssshh' until she's fallen back to sleep if she wakes. Hand on head and hand on body for a while?